2022 Season Plans For Mr. Cheatsheet

I started this site when the internet was quite different. This site was on Blogger at the beginning, if anybody even remembers that service. The oldest screenshot I have of the site is from February of 2010. It looked like this:

Man, it was a trip.

I just wanted to create a little place where I could share my work with people. I never wanted to write for a big fantasy baseball site or get notoriety from this. I never wanted to do anything more than just help people. That’s why I made the site free and always have kept it free. It was never about money nor fame nor accolades or awards. It was because I really, really loved fantasy baseball and I had found ways to approach fantasy baseball that I thought could help other people too. We didn’t have advanced stats and PitchFx at our fingertips on that version of the internet. We didn’t have social media. It was just blogs and people writing cool stuff to help other people out. What this site ended up accomplishing is far more than I could have ever dreamed of at that time.

This site has had over 1.6 million pageviews since that screenshot was taken. Over 500,000 different people have landed on this site at one time or another. It still boggles my mind to this day. I know there are social media people who look at those numbers and scoff but that’s crazy to me. I was basically just a kid at the time and I created a website that became a whole thing. And, it’s a thing that I’m incredibly proud of.

That’s why it breaks my heart that I can’t do my work this year here. The work that I’ve done for so many seasons. I kid you not: I tear up as I write this because I don’t want to write those words. I want to help people in the same way that I’ve been able to help people for years now, but I just can’t.

The truth is that I have unknowingly been developing a chronic illness for years now and it explains a lot of things. It explains even my inability to do some of the things I’ve wanted to do with this site but haven’t. My energy, my brain, and my body just haven’t been right and I didn’t know nor expect that at my age. Unfortunately, it has hit a crisis point in recent weeks and I finally deciphered that something was very wrong and I needed help.

That revelation coincided with the end of the lockout almost perfectly. I knew immediately there was no way I could be on the computer doing my spreadsheet and all of the critical thinking and customer service and troubleshooting that it would involve. I knew I would be unable to keep up with the email support and help that I love to give every single person who reaches out to me. I take pride in never having an email or comment unanswered. This year, it would be impossible for me to do that and it breaks my damn heart.

Look, life isn’t always fair. I know this. But, life is wonderful and it’s a gift to be alive every single day that we are. I know this too. I’m immensely grateful to still be here and still be kicking and on a path to better days. But, please, do take solace in your own good health when you have it because you never know when you won’t.

So, yes, the ending of this story is that I cannot create the cheatsheets this year. The very cheatsheets that are behind the name of this site. It’s just not possible, and I know that.

But, I still want to help.

What I Will Be Publishing In 2022:

It may not be what everyone fully needs for their draft but I feel I can still create my articles that reveal my yearly sleepers, and I feel that I can still do the Special Blend projections that I do each year.

That much I know.

I will not promise anything beyond that, but I have vague hopes of being able to cobble together a few other things depending on my health each day. But, of course, health comes first and I won’t push myself beyond my limits.

Wait, Should You Even Be Publishing Anything In 2022, Bud?

Look, in my brief time of going through what I’m going through, I’ve learned one thing:

I get energy out of making others’ lives better.

That’s the thing that makes me smile and the thing that makes me want to get out of bed and approach the day. It’s the thing that gives me a pep in my step when I’m feeling down. So, even though my health may not be the best right now, I know my health will slightly improve just by doing a thing that I love to do. We all have a purpose and that’s mine.

So, This Site Isn’t Done Forever, Right?

Never.

This is my baby. 2022 is a bad year for this baby, but I’ll be back and doing even better stuff when my health returns. I want to do the grand plans that I’ve never been able to do in recent years, including creating an archive for all of the data I have stored for decades to allow people to do their own research about draft trends and everything else. I can’t wait for that day. That day is just not today.

But, the point is: this site isn’t going anywhere. This is just a bump in the road.

Want To Help?

When people hear about my situation, I’m often humbled by the people who want to help me in return. None of us have ever met face-to-face, so it’s incredibly kind-hearted when those offers come up. And, honestly, I do know of one small way that you can help.

I’m a filmmaker in my daily life and I have this little project that I quickly cobbled together for the state of North Carolina to tell a story about my arrival here. Unfortunately, much to my chagrin, I am in a public voting period where the public needs to vote to determine who gets the final spot. It takes two seconds but if you could go to this site and vote for “The State That Heals” then I would be eternally grateful:

https://www.visitnc.com/firsts-that-last-film-festival

It quite literally takes a few seconds. You click the button and type your email address. From there, you can do it once-per-day leading up to April 15. If I win the thing, I’ll get the funding to actually make the story that I was thinking of, with a full crew so that it can look as good as the professional filmmakers there on that page too.

So, please, do me a solid and vote for me early and often for that thing.

Outside of that, just good vibes and patience, y’all.

When Will This 2022 Content Be Posted?

I’m not sure. It’ll be up soon enough though. I’m excited to publish some of it too and give myself some normalcy again.

Thank you, as always, for all of the support of this site in the many forms that it has appeared over the years. You all have made a difference in my life by supporting this site and I thank you.

-Luke